Techmeme
April 15, 2015, 7:20 AM

Top News

EU Press Room:
EU officially accuses Google of antitrust violations, opens formal investigation on Android  —  The European Commission has sent a Statement of Objections to Google alleging the company has abused its dominant position in the markets for general internet search services in the European Economic Area …
Mark Bergen / Re/code:
Memo: Google responds to EU's imminent antitrust charges, says it expects EU to open investigation into Android on Wednesday  —  Here Is Google's Internal Response to the Imminent EU Charges (Memo)  —  On Wednesday, the European Union is expected to drop the hammer on Google …
Google Europe Blog:
Android has helped create more choice and innovation on mobile than ever before  —  It's hard to believe, but smartphones barely existed ten years ago.  People used feature phones, which had very basic functionality, and were a nightmare for developers.  The only way to build apps was device …
More: The Verge.  Tweets: @ow and @alexhern
Ina Fried / Re/code:
Nokia Agrees to Buy Alcatel-Lucent for $16.6 Billion  —  Nokia said late Tuesday that it plans to buy rival network gear maker Alcatel-Lucent for 15.6 billion euros ($16.6 billion) in stock.  —  The deal has been approved by both companies' boards but still requires regulatory and other approvals.
Jon Russell / TechCrunch:
Nokia confirms it is considering the sale of its HERE mapping business  —  Nokia May Sell Its HERE Mapping Business  —  Nokia is considering the sale of its HERE mapping business, according to a statement released today.  —  The Finnish mobile giant heavily reduced its business when it sold …
Paul Thurrott / Thurrott.com:
Microsoft's long list of apps for iOS highlight company's commitment to the platform  —  Microsoft + iPhone  —  Just a few years ago, there was a sharp divide between fans of Microsoft and fans of the iPhone.  But in this “mobile first, cloud first” world, it's now possible …
Wall Street Journal:
Apple buys Israeli camera technology company LinX for about $20M  —  Apple Buys Israeli Camera-Technology Company LinX  —  Companies had been discussing acquisition price of about $20 million  —  Apple Inc. has acquired Israeli camera-technology company LinX Computational Imaging Ltd.
Peter Bright / Ars Technica:
Surface 3 review: great build quality, good battery life, poor CPU and storage performance; useful accessories are paid extras  —  Surface 3 review: Smaller, slower, cheaper... better?  —  Switching to an x86 processor has made the Surface so much better.  —  To understand the Surface 3, you must first understand the Surface Pro 3.
Ryan Smith / AnandTech:
2015 MacBook review: weight, battery life, display, and keyboard make up for weak performance  —  The 2015 MacBook Review  —  I'm still not entirely sure when it actually happened, but at some point over the last couple of years the crossover between tablets and laptops stopped being an idea and became a real thing.
Edgar Su / Reuters:
Samsung Electronics says demand for Galaxy S6 models much higher than planned for  —  (Reuters) - South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (005930.KS) on Wednesday said demand for both the flat-screen and curved-screen models of its new flagship Galaxy S6 smartphones is “much higher” than initially planned for.
Anthony Ha / TechCrunch:
Hello Alfred, which uses existing on-demand services to automate weekly chores, raises $10.5M Series A led by NEA and Spark Capital  —  Hello Alfred Raises $10.5M To Automate Your Chores  —  Hello Alfred, a startup that taps into existing on-demand services to automate your weekly chores, has raised $10.5 million in Series A funding.
Arik Hesseldahl / Re/code:
IHS report: Verizon 64GB Galaxy S6 Edge costs about $290 to build, more than Apple's iPhones, and $34 more than Galaxy S5  —  Samsung's Galaxy S6 Edge Is More Expensive to Build Than Apple's iPhones  —  Samsung's latest flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S6 Edge, is the most costly yet to build and assemble …
Jenna Wortham / New York Times:
How the founder of The Shade Room created a lucrative ad-supported celebrity news publication on Instagram  —  Instagram's TMZ  —  The first time I heard about The Shade Room, I thought it was a reality show, or maybe a nightclub.  It turned out to be neither, although I was close in spirit …
Bloomberg Business:
OnePlus seeks Silicon Valley VC backing, will launch One successor OnePlus Two as well as a cheaper model this year  —  Help Wanted: 25-Year-Old's Phone Startup Seeks VC Funds  —  OnePlus, a China-based smartphone maker, is in talks to obtain Silicon Valley venture capital funding to help double its workforce as it boosts output.
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Google Play's New Program “Designed For Families” Will Highlight Pre-Approved, Kid-Safe Apps  —  Google today announced a new developer program called “Designed For Families” which will allow app publishers to opt into an additional review in order have their apps labeled as being “family-friendly.”
Casey Newton / The Verge:
Chinese streaming video service Letv announces its Le Superphone smartphone is headed for the US, in a profoundly unconvincing pitch  —  After comparing Apple to Hitler, Chinese company reveals Le Superphone  —  Two weeks ago, to build buzz for the Android smartphone it announced today, Chinese tech company Letv turned to Hitler.
Carolyn Said / San Francisco Chronicle:
Over 20K now drive for Uber in the San Francisco Bay Area, more than double from a year ago, company says  —  Uber among region's biggest employers, but company begs to differ  —  More Bay Area residents drive for Uber than bag groceries at Safeway.  In fact, the biggest Bay Area employers are Kaiser …

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Sarah Perez / TechCrunch: